Guinea impatiens plant named &#39;Ovation Dark Salmon&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea  Impatiens  plant named ‘Ovation Dark Salmon’, characterized by its mounded plant habit; freely branching growth habit; freely flowering habit with rounded flowers positioned above the foliage; large salmon-colored flowers; dark green leaves with a reddish cast; and tolerance to full sun conditions and low and high temperatures.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Plant Patent Application No. 60/603,580 filed Aug. 23, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION

Impatiens hawkeri

VARIETAL DENOMINATION

‘Ovation Dark Salmon’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Impatiens hawkeri, and known by the variety name ‘Ovation Dark Salmon’. The new variety is a product of a planned breeding program conducted in Ashtabula, Ohio. The purpose of the breeding program was to create early flowering cultivars with a large flower size, numerous salmon colored flowers, dark foliage, and flowers over the leaf canopy. The new variety originated from a cross-pollination of a proprietary selection of Impatiens hawkeri identified as code number 97-1157-4, not patented, as the female seed parent with a proprietary selection of Impatiens hawkeri identified as code number 97-1172-5, not patented, as the male pollen parent. Comparisons between the new variety and its parents cannot be made, as the parental varieties no longer exist. The cultivar ‘Ovation Dark Salmon’ was discovered and selected as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment. Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings has shown that the unique features of the new variety are stable and reproduced true to type in successive propagations.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Ovation Dark Salmon’. Characteristics that distinguish ‘Ovation Dark Salmon’ as a new and distinct cultivar from others known to the breeder include:

1) Very rounded flowers due to the overlap of the petals;

2) Flowers are of the color of 47C with a trace of 57A in the center of the flower;

3) Large flowers, about 75 mm in diameter;

4) Foliage is dark green with a reddish cast;

5) Free-branching habit;

6) Mounded growth habit;

7) Ability to tolerate both high temperatures and full sun;

8) Ability to tolerate cool night temperatures to 5 to 10° C.; and

9) Early to flower, finishing in about 8 to 10 weeks in a 15 cm pot.

Plants of the new variety can be compared to plants of the Impatiens cultivar ‘Ovation Hot Lava’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,345. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lompoc, Calif., plants of the new variety differed from plants of the cultivar ‘Ovation Hot Lava’ in the following characteristics:

1) Flowers of the new variety were larger than the flowers of ‘Ovation Hot Lava’;

2) Flowers of the new variety had a color of 47C with a trace of 57A in the center of the flower, whereas flowers of ‘Ovation Hot Lava’ had a color of 41A;

3) Stems of the new variety had a color of 146B with a tint of 184A around the nodes, whereas stems of ‘Ovation Hot Lava’ had a color of 184A;

4) Plants of the new variety had a mounded habit, whereas plants of ‘Ovation Hot Lava’ had a semi-upright habit; and

5) Peduncles of the new variety had a color of 146D, whereas the peduncles of ‘Ovation Hot Lava’ had a color of 185A.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying colored photographic drawing illustrates the new variety, with the colors being as nearly true as is reasonably possible to obtain in colored illustrations of this type.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

The cultivar ‘Ovation Dark Salmon’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, day length and light intensity. However, there is no variance in genotype.

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Plants were grown under commercial practice during the late winter through early spring of 2003 in Lompoc, Calif., in a corrugated polycarbonate-covered greenhouse with 30% shade covering. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 21 to 24° C.; night temperatures ranged from 16 to 18° C.; and light levels ranged from 4000 to 5000 foot candles of light. Plants used in the following description were grown in 15 cm containers for about 8 to 10 weeks after planting rooted cuttings.

-   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—Summer: About 10 days at 21° C.             Winter: About 12 days at 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—Summer: About 21 days at             21° C. Winter: About 21 days at 21° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous, White in color.         -   Root habit.—Freely branching, dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   General appearance.—Mounded plant habit; numerous rounded             flowers positioned above the foliage.         -   Plant height at flowering.—15 to 18 cm.         -   Plant width (spread): 25 to 30 cm.         -   Growth and branching habit.—Freely branching habit; dense             and full plant habit; typically 10 or more lateral branches             develop per plant. Pinching (removal of terminal apex) is             usually not required. Vigorous growth habit.         -   Lateral branch description.—Length: About 12 to 15 cm.             Diameter: About 6 to 8 mm. Internode length: About 3 to             4 cm. Color: 146B with a tint of 184A around the nodes.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate or whorled;             simple. Length: About 10 to 11 cm. Width: About 3 to 3.5 cm.             Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Acute. Margin:             Finely serrated with fine cilate. Texture upper and lower             surfaces: Glabrous. Venation pattern: Pinnate. Color:             Developing leaves, upper surface: 146A with a cast of 187B.             Developing leaves, lower surface: 187C. Fully expanded             leaves, upper surface: 147A with a cast of 187C. Fully             expanded leaves, lower surface: 187C. Venation, upper             surface: 147B with a cast of 187C. Venation, lower surface:             187B. Petiole length: About 8 mm. Petiole diameter: About             3 mm. Petiole color: 187B. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type and habit.—Single, large, rounded, flat and             salmon-colored flowers. Freely flowering, usually about one             flower per leaf axil. Flowers are positioned above the             foliage and typically face upward or outward. Flowers last             about two weeks on the plant depending on environmental             conditions. Petals not persistent. Flowers not fragrant.         -   Flowering season.—Year-round under greenhouse conditions. In             the garden, flowering from spring until fall. Flowering             indeterminate and continuous.         -   Flower diameter.—About 7.5 cm.         -   Flower buds.—Length: About 2 cm. Width: About 1.4 cm. Shape:             Ellipsoidal. Color (just before opening): 53C.         -   Petals.—Quantity: Single, five. Length: About 3.5 cm. Width:             About 4.0 to 5.5 cm. Shape: Cordate. Apex: Rounded with             moderate to deep indentations. Base: Rounded to Acute.             Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Glabrous,             satiny. Color: When opening, upper surface: 50B with a trace             of 57A in the eye. When opening, lower surface: 51B. Fully             opened, upper surface: 47C with a trace of 57A in the eye             fading to 47D. Fully opened, lower surface: 48B.         -   Spur.—Length: About 5 cm. Color: 184C.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 3.5 cm. Angle: About 45° from             vertical. Strength: Strong. Texture: Smooth, glabrous.             Color: 146D.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Stamen number: Five fused             at anthers, filaments free, hooded. Anther length: About             5 mm. Anther shape: Obovate. Anther color: 53C with a tip of             158B. Pollen amount: Abundant. Pollen color: Cream.             Gynoecium: Pistil number: One, five-segmented. Pistil             length: About 5 mm. Stigma color: 61B. Style color: 61B.             Ovary color: 185A. -   Fruit/Seed development: Fruit and seed development has not been     observed. -   Disease/Pest resistance: Plants of the new variety have not been     observed to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Impatiens. -   Temperature tolerance: In outdoor nursery trials in Connellsville,     Pa., plants of the new variety have been observed to be tolerant to     full sun conditions and high temperatures (32 to 38° C.) during the     summer. In outdoor nursery trials in Lompoc, Calif., plants of the     new variety have been observed to be tolerant to low night     temperatures from about 5 to 10° C. 

1. A new and distinct variety of Impatiens named ‘Ovation Dark Salmon’ as herein described and illustrated. 